AtLA Modern: Year 1, Gen. 1

Chapter 34

By that time, Athlea had reached the school, walking down the empty hallway and sipping on a coffee. She was more dressed up than normal, wearing a long-sleeved cropped white shirt with a plaid black-and-white plated skirt with her chunky white sneakers, paired with a nude eyeshadow and lip and a thick black winged eyeliner. She scaled the stairs to the third floor where her class was, opening the door as she arrived. The teacher was gone; as it was a study hall, he sometimes chose to help one of his classes in a computer lab. The class was filled with the chatter of students. Athlea threw her coffee cup in the trash can by the door, her eyes moving to Xilah and darkening.

Zuko glanced up as she entered, following her gaze to Xilah. The white-haired boy was working, biting on a pencil, brow furrowed. Zuko cleared his throat, glancing between the two, but didn't say anything, and Xilah didn't move.

Athlea's eyes shone as she walked toward Xilah. She came to a stop in front of him and he gritted his jaw, leaning back, wincing. "I know what's coming, so get it over with."

Athlea snatched the pencil from his hand. "Good..." She trailed off, then suddenly stabbed through his hand with the pencil, leaning over his desk, smiling. "...fucking morning," she continued innocently.

As the pencil went clean through his hand, his eyes widened before the pain hit him--and then, of course, it did. He groaned, leaning forward and clutching at his hand. "Woo! That... fucking hurt!" He rested his head on the desk, stomping his feet for a moment, then looked up at Athlea, wincing. "IdeservedthatIdeservedthatIdeservedthat," he said in one breath. He took a deep breath, groaning again with his eyes shut before looking at Thea again. "Anything else? 'Cause if that's all, I should probably see the nurse." Zuko leaned his mouth behind his hand as the class stopped and went silent; he was snickering.

Athlea tilted her head aside. "I'm glad that you're aware." She pulled the pencil from his hand, tossing it before pushing his desk sideways, grabbing a nearby chair and plopping down on it the wrong way, the same way he'd sat on the chair when he was interrogating her.

Xilah groaned again as she ripped the pencil out of his hand, causing it to start bleeding heavily. "That fucking hurts," he said quietly.

"Let's give you a reason to go to the hospital and not the nurse," she decided, eyes narrowed. Standing, she grabbed his shirt and dragged him to a wall, shoving him up against it, a glare on his face. She leaned in close. "I heard Tanros has something called a Black List. A list of people who have it out for him. I want on it." She pulled away, gripping his hair and smashing his face into the wall.

As she shoved him against the wall, he shouted with pain and brought a hand to his face, feeling something crushing beneath his skin. "I can't!" he responded, both hands covered in blood and protecting his face. "He put us on a year release. We can't have any contact with him or anyone else involved until we're in college," he said, his voice high-pitched with pain and indignance.

She smashed his face into the wall three more times before pulling him back, her hand tangled in his hair. "Year release or not, get me on that list. Otherwise, I'm coming for you, too, and I promise you won't like it. I'll make sure of it."

Zuko stood, straightening his sleeves. "That's enough, Athlea," he said quietly, walking forward and pushing her off of Xilah. "He can't do anything. And you, idiot, get to come with me. You have to get to the nurse so she can call an ambulance."

Athlea glanced at Zuko, then Xilah. "Do what I said, or, you know..." she whispered, crossing her arms.

"Got it!" Xilah had said sharply, arms in front of his face.

He glanced at Athlea, barely hiding his amusement, before grabbing Xilah's injured hand roughly and dragging him away; he was stumbling and making noises of pain.

Athlea let out a little "hmph" before heading for a restroom. She furiously washed her hands, her eyes on the promise ring Zuko had gotten her. Sighing, she shut the water off and dried her hands, leaving the room. After taking a deep breath, she moved to her locker. Athlea grit her teeth, trying to open it. "Piece of shit," she muttered, smacking it. It bounced open, hitting her face. "I hate this stupid locker," she muttered, a hand moving to rub her nose.

Zuko appeared at his locker moments after Athlea. "Did you hear...?" he asked, pushing through books casually. "Turns out Xilah fell down a flight of stairs. Broke three ribs, and his cheekbone. His nose and chin, too. I heard his collarbone might've even had a little fracture. Shame. Poor guy even sent his own pencil through his hand, falling at the angle he did." He smirked, eyes on his locker. "You do that often," Zuko chuckled, pointing at her locker.

"Because it doesn't open so I have to hit it. And... we both know he didn't fall." She grabbed a book and a pen, closing her locker, her eyes on him and a playful smirk on her lips. She leaned a shoulder against the locker, facing her boyfriend. "You're just as crazy as I am."

He shut his locker and leaned against it, smirking. He dropped his book and grabbed her waist in both hands, leaning forward, his lips against her ear. "Oh, trust me, I have to be to be with you," he teased, biting her ear softly.

She bit her lip and turned away slightly, flushing. "I see..." she muttered.

He leaned back, frowning. "Uh, can we, like, chill with the death threats, though? I understand, but... really? Death threats? You're starting to sound like Dai."

She looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. "I had to put some fear in him," she said innocently, blue eyes wide, smiling.

"Right," Zuko muttered, eyes on hers. "Because stabbing clean through his hand with a pencil and bashing his face into the wall didn't do it, nor your boyfriend later caving his face in even more and kicking him in the ribs until he nearly passed out." He kissed her, one hand on the locker. "Come on. We have to get to third period."

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A/N yeah so if violence isnt your thing... move on lol, this story is mature for a reason